


Monsters Don't Sleep (Part 3)

by QuietDarkness



Series: Simplicity and Complexity (Harrisco) [34]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: M/M, harrisco
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-02-14 03:40:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12999081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuietDarkness/pseuds/QuietDarkness
Summary: Harry begins to put the pieces together, but the game is far from over. He might have to risk everything to keep everyone alive, and buy just enough time for Barry and Caitlin to figure out what's happening.The 'monster' has been watching all along... and the 'monster' doesn't like it when people know its secrets...'Opposites don't just attract. They catch fire and burn the entire city down.'(Part 34)





	Monsters Don't Sleep (Part 3)

There was a strange panic settled among the small group, everyone very still and staring at the door like it was about to explode inward. But Harry wasn't watching the door, or anyone else. He was staring out the side window, tucked up against the wall, watching the bear in complete confusion. Because what he was seeing was apparently not what everyone else was seeing... or they would have mentioned something... right?

“What's it doing?” Cisco whispered very softly from near the overturned rolling chair opposite the radio desk. He looked exhausted, but wide awake at the same time. Vibing without his goggles had taken a lot out of him. He'd been too far for Harry to pull him back, too deep in whatever he was vibing to come out of it easily. It had happened that way before. But it had never been as long as this time. Harry had been worried. But unfortunately, he couldn't really dwell on it right then.

Because right then a bear was right outside the door, a large one. With no eyes. Just like the predators on 714.

Or at least that's what _he_ saw. And heard.

Because it was making a clicking noise, one he remembered well. One many of the predators on 714 made when they were tracking down prey with echolocation. Cisco gave him a peculiar expression, motioning to the window. And he turned his eyes back, looking out. The bear was sniffing the doorframe, its wet nose snuffling back and forth, steam billowing into the cold morning air. Then it reached forward with a paw, pushing against the door. Everyone jumped a little, startled sounds escaping them, except for Harry. He frowned at them, Sophia burying her face into Cisco's shoulder, Brock looking like he was about to piss himself. Harry motioned to Cisco, to come closer. 

For a moment, Cisco looked confused, but then peeled himself away from Sophia -which was no small feat. The poor woman was at her wits end with all this. And honestly, no one could blame her for that. Once he was tucked up on the other side of the wall, Harry whispered, “What do you see?” Cisco frowned a little, searching Harry's nearly unreadable expression, but blinked and slowly peered out the window. 

Once he got as good a look as he could, he slipped back. “A really big bear.” He stated flatly, but with wild hand gestures, which sounded and looked rather amusing with him whispering. Harry fought back the urge to growl in frustration, however, gritting his teeth momentarily.

“Did you see anything strange about the bear, did you hear anything?!” He urged. And Cisco raised one brow slowly.

“No, should I have?” He peeked back around, but glanced at Harry sideways. Nothing. Huh. 

So was he really the only one seeing the lack of eyes? Hearing the clicking?

“I think it's moving away...” Cisco whispered, motioning toward the window with one hand. Harry looked back out, watching the eyeless creature amble back slowly down the stairs. It wasn't till it hit the bottom that Cisco seemed to heave a sigh of relief and turn to look at him. “Shit, Harry... your eyes.” He moved right into him, then, reaching up and turning his face. “They're doing that thing again.” He said, and this time there was complete worry painting his tanned features.

“Thing...” He raised a brow. “You mean the dark light you saw earlier.” He reached up with one hand and touched just below one of his own eyes. His skin felt... very cold. What the hell was happening?

“Are you okay?” Cisco stepped closer to him, “Because I really need you to be okay right now.” Harry closed his eyes a moment and breathed out, then looked at Cisco.

“I'm fine, Ramon.” He said, probably a lot more harshly than he meant to, but he was beginning to form an idea of what might actually be going on, that started with their strangely snuffed out campfires. An idea he didn't like. One that, if it was in fact the truth, meant bad things for all of them. “We need to get moving.” He stepped away from him, grabbing the duffle bag they'd filled with supplies they'd scrounged up from the ranger's station... just in case he was wrong. “The fire trail the ranger's truck used to get up here is our next best option.” He stepped past Sophia, who was just watching him like she didn't quite recognize him. Brock raised both brows as Harry moved near him.

“Now wait a minute, I ain't goin out there! Not with bears and that... that thing killin people!” He exclaimed, nearly staring Harry down as he crossed his arms over his chest. Harry leaned forward without breaking eye contact, reaching past him to pull his hunting knife off the table behind Brock. Then he just stuck it back in his sheath.

“Then stay. Die. I don't care.” He said clearly. And truthfully. If what he was beginning to think was happening was actually happening, he wasn't sure he could stop it anyway. He needed Caitlin and Barry for that. That and he didn't really like Brock. Cisco and Sophia? They were his priorities.

He moved away from the now jaw-dropped Brock toward the door. Cisco reached for him, grabbing him by the forearm, a little roughly, but more so to make him stop than anything else. “What the hell, Harry!” He said, moving to block his way. “No, just... stop for a damn minute!” He practically begged, pushing at Harry's chest when he tried to step past. He took in a deep breath, then dropped the duffle bag with a loud thunk and looked at Cisco, the frustration just about eating him whole. 

“What?” He forced out. And he was well aware he didn't sound pleasant.

“Talk to me, what is going on?! Your eyes, and the questions about the bear? And I know you don't like him cause, well yeah, he's an asshole-” he motioned to Brock, who let out a _'Hey!'_ and pouted like a child afterward, “But that's not you, this...” He sighed, stepping closer, “Something is wrong.”

Harry wanted to say what he was thinking. What he was figuring out. But how could he without sounding like a complete and total lunatic? Ramon already thought something was wrong with him because none of this was scaring him like it should. He cleared his throat, clenching his empty hands. “I can't.” He said. Simple as that. Cisco blinked, then shook his head. But before he could say anything, Harry added, “I can't protect you here. Not like this. We're too exposed. We don't have time for this, Ramon. We need to move.” Ramon's whole expression went from worried, to blank. Just like that. And Harry knew why. It was what Ramon did when Harry was being too hard to deal with, when Harry was hiding things, when Harry was just not being the sort of husband he should be. But Ramon wouldn't understand... not yet. Hell, even Harry didn't entirely understand yet. And that's what he justified his lie with as he reached down and picked up the duffle bag again. “We're moving.” He said firmly, glancing once more at Sophia, not even sparing Brock the time, “Now.”

He couldn't even look at Cisco as he stepped past and opened the door. He felt only a small reassurance as he heard the tentative string of footsteps on the metal steps behind him. First one pair, then two and eventually one more as even Brock cleared out. But that relief was short lived the farther they walked down the muddy, debris laden and cold morning fire trail. It was a straight short shot down the mountain in a vehicle. Walking, on the other hand, was a whole other ordeal. As the moments ticked by quietly, no amount of trudging along seemed to dissipate the tension that had firmly implanted itself among them. And Harry knew he had himself to thank for that, or at least partially.

There was also the feeling, at least for Harry, that hovering just out of eyesight, following their every move, was something intelligent. Something angry. And it knew that Harry wasn't in the dark anymore, at least not completely. 

And like all men with knowledge, that made Harrison Wells more dangerous than anyone else in this game of cat and mouse. What that meant for him? He was sure, the farther they went, that he was going to find out.

* * *

It was near mid day by the time they all stopped, against Harry's better judgment.

Moving seemed to make sense. It was when they were in one place that things happened. Ray was in one place and he died. The ranger was in one place and he died. They were all in one place and a bear showed up. But when they were moving, nothing happened.

Absolutely nothing.

Not even the sound of animals. Or birds. Or insects. Or lit campfires, for that matter.

Harry stopped several dozen feet away from everyone else and just listened, closed his eyes, let his instincts flow.

Everything about this felt absurdly real, to the point where the cold was cold and pain was pain and every touch was pure. It was all so real that the sound of Cisco's bootfalls were instantly recognized, and the feel of his fingers along Harry's spine built an instant sigh in his ribcage. He didn't open his eyes for a long time, because as real as it all felt...

“Come back.” Ramon's voice met his ears, and he let the sigh out, opening his eyes to see Ramon had moved to stand in front of him. For a quiet moment, they just stared at each other. Neither one said a word, and Harry was trying really hard to decide what the best course of action was. But instead, found himself reaching forward, slipping his fingers into the tangled strands of Ramon's hair, just to feel. _So goddamn real._ “There you are.” Cisco gave a small smile. 

“We shouldn't stay here long.” He found himself replying, almost as though he were programmed to. In a way, he was. Because even though he was beginning to figure out the rules to the game, the instincts put in place by his surroundings were still in the forefront. Cisco sighed when Harry dropped his hand and moved closer, sliding his arms around Harry and frowning.

“Shit, you're ice cold.” He stated, worry in every word. “Why didn't you say something?!” he stepped back and moved as though to remove his own coat but Harry shook his head and reached forward, grabbing both of Ramon's hands.

“Don't.” Harry ordered, zipping back up what little Cisco had undone. “I'm not cold. At least,” He fixed Cisco's collar a little, sighing with a slight shake of his head, “I don't feel it.” Ramon frowned very deeply at that. 

“Alright, explain that to me. In fact,” he lowered his voice a little, stepping very close, enough to mold their forms together and wrap his arms completely around his husband. Harry couldn't help but hold him in return. “Explain everything to me. What is going on? And don't try to change the subject this time or deny that something's up.”

“I don't...” He began, letting a breath out his of his nostrils as he stopped, searching Ramon's chocolate brown eyes as though the answer to everything had to be in them, but he knew it wasn't. He whispered, “I don't like lying to you.” Ramon's face sobered completely.

“So don't. Jesus, Harry... what's wrong?” So much worry. Dammit. 

“I can't tell you. Not yet. Not till I have more answers.” Harry replied, and let his head fall forward till their foreheads met. “Just... I just need you to trust me, Ramon. Please.” Cisco was quiet, just breathing along with him. 

“I do trust you. More than anyone. You know that.” He said softly. 

“But...” Harry had to say it, he knew it was there. Cisco closed his eyes.

“But... I thought we were past all that, a long time ago.” Cisco said, and fuck. Harry could hear the hurt. 

“Cisco...” he whispered, and Ramon's eyes opened at the sound of his first name. What could he do? What could he say to reassure him? “I'm never going back to that, to who I was before. I promised you. The lying, the betrayals... that's all in the past. This is different. I'm trying to... to protect you. I need more answers, more facts before I can tell you anything. Please, just... you know me,” He lifted his hands and cradled Ramon's face, unable to help the longing in his voice, “You know.” He smoothed his thumbs over Cisco's cheeks, well aware now Ramon's skin was far warmer than his fingers. Ramon sighed, but nodded and wordlessly reached up, pressing his mouth to Harry's.

Real or not, Ramon's mouth sure as hell felt the same, tasted the same, lingered the same. 

Settled his aching soul exactly the same.

Maybe he was wrong...

“Look out!” Sophia's high pitched tone had both of them pulling apart abruptly, a thick and heavy branch falling oddly quietly from right above them from a tall and rather barren tree off to the side of the fire trail. Without even thinking about it, Harry shoved Cisco as hard as he could... just as the branch slammed down, smashing right where they'd been standing, and hitting Harry hard over the shoulders and back.

For not being real, it hurt like fucking hell.

Everything after that moved in slow motion. He'd felt his shoulderblade snap, he was sure of it. And the pain, goddamn the pain... it radiated throughout his back and shoulder and neck like he'd been hit by a truck and not a log sized branch.

He could feel his instinct, his power want to kick in. To heal him. To make him whole again. To take the pain away. Like breathing. Like his heart pumping. It was just what it did, naturally. But he stopped it. Forced himself to clamp it down. “Not real...” he muttered as he lay half on his side, barely aware that Cisco was grabbing onto him as Brock dragged the branch away and Sophia hovered nearby. Harry gasped as Cisco attempted to move him. “Not.... real...” he whispered, feeling tears stinging his eyes. He needed to be right, needed to prove this to himself. Fuck it, he _was_ right! “Not real.” He said louder, and everyone around him seemed to exchange confused and worried glances. But then, as though they were all startled by something... no, not something, by him... they backed up. Even Cisco fell back onto his rear.

Whatever they were seeing, Harry could feel. 

The pain was subsiding. In fact, it was disappearing entirely. He heaved several breaths. Rolled his shoulders, pushed himself up, stood, all while they watched. He glanced at the split and broken branch, looked up at the tree it had fallen from.

And he could see. 

The truth.

* * *

“What do you mean it just stopped?” Barry asked, standing next to Caitlin, who was looking over the monitor with a confused expression.

“I don't know, I can't explain it. His vitals spiraled, like he'd been severely injured.” She tapped something on the monitor, pulling up a portion of the recent history. “Then it just instantly leveled out. He's still critical. I can't get his temperature up. But everything else went back to normal.” She replied, looking down at the unconscious form of Harrison Wells on one of the gurneys. The medical lab was full. Cisco Ramon, Sophia Price and Brock Dade were all there, too, just as unconscious as Harry. And just as bad off. Though none of them seemed to be suffering from the strange hypothermia that had taken over Harry. Even with his healing abilities, it was progressing. No matter what Caitlin tried to do to warm him up, he was getting gradually colder. 

“And Cisco?” Barry asked quietly, his jaw clenching as he wandered over to him, sliding a hand onto his friend's shoulder. Caitlin sighed, following. 

“His brainwaves are the strongest, probably because of his abilities, and that also may explain why he was able to vibe -even in this state. But they're all showing the same beta wave frequency, exactly 28 hertz, and steady. That's just... not possible. ” She moved to a monitor near the wall, a keyboard right below it and began typing. Four different brain waves popped up on the screen. She isolated a section from each and overlapped them. “Despite being completely identical, it's like they're all awake. Functioning phyiscally, mentally and emotionally. Even their gamma waves are unusually active.”

“But we can't wake them up.” Barry stated the terribly obvious, looking away from the monitor to glance over the room again.

“What were they like when you found them?” Caitlin asked, turning to look at him.

“I found her first.” Barry said, motioning to Sophia. “And her boyfriend.” Who was dead. His cold body was laying stiff in his sleeping bag, right next to her. What was worse, it was like he was ripped to shreds, inside his bag. But the bag was completely in tact. Caitlin hadn't had a chance to do an autopsy yet, but her preliminary exam hadn't given any answers. Whatever had killed him hadn't been an animal, and hadn't been exactly human, either. More like something in between. And yet all the wounds were clean, no debris, nothing typically found with an animal attack. He may as well have been killed by a ghost. “Then I found Cisco and Harry. Exactly the same. I just... if I hadn't found Ray Malak like that, I'd have sworn they were just sleeping.” He rubbed his hands over his face, sighing, then dropped them. “The tour guide had said there had been five who went camping, so I looked and found him. In his sleeping bag.” He pointed at Brock. “I know it's not exactly helpful.” He sounded so defeated. Caitlin moved over to him.

“We'll figure it out, Barry. I promise. But,” She looked around, clenching her jaw a little, “As soon as I get their blood results back, I'll have more answers. Can you... can you get me some coffee? I could really use the pick me up.” Barry nodded, glancing once more at the still forms of his friends and the strangers beside them. Then he stepped out of the room, leaving Caitlin alone with everyone. 

She looked around, and a moment later her face crumpled, a choked sob escaping her throat as tears threatened. No matter how many times they went through things like this, it never got easier. Her friends... her family... they were in trouble, dying, and she was standing here with no clue and no answers! She let out a frustrated sound, wiping angrily at her tears and moving toward her computers to see if the blood tests had come back. She wasn't about to give up, because that just wasn't what they did. 

Cisco had vibed to her, sent her that message. 'H-E-L'... she knew it had been him. Something had stopped him from spelling out the whole message, and though he was getting good at pranking them when he sleep-vibed, she knew... just knew... this was different. That he wouldn't pull something like that while he was on a much needed vacation with Harry. 

And she'd been right.

After she'd told Barry about the message, he'd wasted no time tracking their friends down. 

They'd just never expected to find them like this.

Forty nine minutes left before the blood results would be done. She'd ruled out external influences. So it had to be something internal. Something she wasn't seeing. Something that was connecting them all. She sighed and glanced over her shoulder, catching the rise and fall of Cisco's chest and feeling the tug in her own. “Just hold on.” She whispered. She needed to do more than stand there and wait. So she went back to Ray's body. 

As far as mysteries went, this one was killing her. She could only hope that whatever was happening to the people she cared about, that they were fighting it every step of the way...

* * *

“What the actual hell, Harry?!” Cisco yelled, scrambling to his feet and moving toward him, grabbing him by both arms and turning him every which way like he had to make sure he wasn't hallucinating and that Harry was really standing there unhurt. 

Harry let him move him, as awkward as it was, then stood still when Cisco stared up at him, his mouth slightly agape as he reached up and held Harry's face in both hands. “Your...” he swallowed. “Your eyes are...” he dropped his hands and stepped back once, very slowly. “Black.” He nearly whispered the last part. “Completely. No white.”

Harry raised one brow. Black? Well, that was certainly new.

“All the light's gone.” Cisco explained further, then reached for Harry, grabbing both his hands. “And I swear... I swear I heard something break.”

“The branch did.” Harry said softly, trying not to sound flat. But he was so done with this bullshit. Which was what it was. He knew that now. 

“Jackass, not the branch!” Ramon yelled at him. “You!” 

“I did. For a moment. But I'm fine now.”

“You didn't heal, Harry. I know what your healing looks like.” He blurted, completely frustrated and beside himself. He let go of Harry's hands. “And your ice cold. Like death cold, man. What the fuck is going on?!” Harry froze completely in place, glancing past Ramon toward Sophia and Brock who were both just watching like they were witnessing a train wreck and couldn't tear their eyes away.

“You're not going to believe it at first. And you're not going to like it when you finally do.” He said easily, looking back at Ramon, who still seemed very uneasy by whatever strangeness was in Harry's eyes. Cisco frowned, however, and crossed both arms over his chest.

“Spit it out. Right now.” He ordered. And Harry sighed deeply. 

“Fine. But you're not ready for it, and I don't have all the answers, so don't expect it all to make sense.” He looked up once more at the tree that had assaulted him, “Can we at least move while I explain? Staying still means bad things happen, like bears and trees.” He stated as simply as he could, glancing back down. 

“What's that supposed to mea-” Brock started to ask, but he was cut off by the sound of something crashing through the trees. 

Well, not just something.

Sophia screamed, high and shrill, backing up and tripping over her own boots. Brock swore a string of vulgarities as he backed up, too, tripping over Sophia in a nearly comedic tumble that would have been far funnier in a much different situation. Cisco came right up beside Harry, grabbing onto the back of his sweater. And standing in between all of them was the monster Sophia and Brock had described to them, in exact detail. Tall, leathery black skin, humanesque limbs, sharp and pointed teeth, and red eyes... looking directly at Harry.

'Yuuu...' It said, a very strange, slimy but distinctly human and deep voice escaped the 'monster's' mouth. 'Yu know. Die fiiiiirst.' It pointed one long, bony finger directly at Harry. 

“Sonofabitch...” Cisco whispered beside him. 

Harry nodded. “Yup.” He said, just as shocked by the sight before him as Cisco, despite the fact that he knew the truth. 

“It's really real.” Cisco's hand gripped a little tighter behind Harry, tightening his sweater around his frame. 

“No, it's not.” Harry responded, turning to look at Cisco very briefly. “I'm sorry about this.” And then he did the only thing he could think of, something he was sure he would regret instantly, but the one thing that would keep his husband alive.

He punched Ramon, right in the jaw. 

Not enough to really hurt him, just enough to make him let go and drop him. 

Then he looked at the 'monster' and snapped his fingers. “Come and get me, then.” Apparently it hadn't expected him to punch the person next to him, because it seemed momentarily confused. But then it blinked, pulled its lips back and snarled, just before pushing forward on clawed feet and moving toward him. 

And without wasting a single second more, Harry ran. Right into the trees, a monster hot on his heels. Completely out of view. Leaving what had to be a very stunned and confused Ramon behind with Sophia and Brock...

* * *

“A... what now?” Barry asked incredulously, doing his best to wrap his head around the idea that a computer that was a bug was inside each of their heads. 

“I know how it sounds, but...” Caitlin picked the specimen jar off the table, and held it out to him, showing him the exact thing she'd just described. Inside, unmoving, was what looked very much like a mechanical cockroach. Or close to it. 

“That was in his head... that thing.” Barry cringed, not even daring to touch the jar.

“Actually, it was attached to his brain stem.” She set the jar down, removing her blood stained medical gloves and tossing them in a biohazard can beside the table that Ray's sheet covered body was on. She moved over to her laptop, typing. “Its structure seemed really familiar to me.”

“Yeah, it's a fricken bug.” Barry deadpanned, and Caitlin rolled her eyes at him.

“Not that. I mean,” She turned her laptop around so he could see the screen, “It's really, really familiar.”

Barry found himself stilling, eyebrows furrowing as dots connected. “That's not possible...” He found himself whispering. Because before him was a prototype of a device that Eobard Thawne, aka the imposter Harrison Wells, aka Reverse Flash had built to 'help' combat degenerative brain disorders. Only the government wanted to use the tech for something else entirely, more like mind control projects, so he discontinued the project. Or so they'd thought.

“Apparently, he kept working on them. Because this,” she pointed to the specimen jar, “Is the completed result. And if I'm right about what he's gotten these things to do, then Cisco, Harry and the rest are all going to die just like Ray Malak unless we can find a way to deactivate them.” 

Barry met Caitlin's worried gaze and clenched his jaw tightly, reaching forward and closing her laptop lid. “What do you need?” He asked firmly. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Help. As much as we can get.” She replied. And Barry nodded.

“It's a good thing we know some of the smartest people in the multiverse then, isn't it.” he gave her a light smile, and she nodded. That was all the permission he needed...

...to run.

**Author's Note:**

> (To be continued...)


End file.
